Product Information

Publisher's Description

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The books of Jeremiah and Lamentations cannot be separated from the political conditions of ancient Judah. Beginning with the righteous king Josiah, who ushered in a time of glorious but brief religious reform, Jeremiah reflects the close tie between spiritual and political prosperity or disaster, between the actions and heart of Judah and her kings and their fortunes as a nation. While few of us today have any firsthand understanding of what it means to live in a theocracy, the central theme of Jeremiah and Lamentations remains clear and still holds true: God first, politics second. The words, prayers, and poems of "the weeping prophet" serve to realign us with Gods priorities, turning us from evil and encouraging us to pursue God and his ways. With emotion and spiritual depth, these prophetic writings beckon us toward a spiritual integrity that can still affect the course of individuals and nations today. Most Bible commentaries take us on a one-way trip from our world to the world of the Bible. But they leave us there, assuming that we can somehow make the return journey on our own. They focus on the original meaning of the passage but dont discuss its contemporary application. The information they offer is valuable--but the job is only half done! The NIV Application Commentary Series helps bring both halves of the interpretive task together. This unique, award-winning series shows readers how to bring an ancient message into our postmodern context. It explains not only what the Bible meant but also how it speaks powerfully today.

Author Bio

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J. Andrew Dearman (PhD, Emory University) is director of Fuller Texas, located in Houston TX, associate dean of the School of Theology in Pasadena, CA, and professor of Old Testament. He has worked on archaeological projects in Israel and Jordan. He has written Property Rights in the Eighth-Century, Prophets, and Religion and Culture in Ancient Israel, and has also edited and contributed to several books..

Endorsements

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The NIV Application Commentary Series promises to be of very great service to all who preach and teach the Word of God.J.I. Packer
Regent College

The NIV Application Commentary Series doesn't fool around: it gets right down to business, brining this ancient and powerful word of God into the present so that it can be heard and believed with all the freshness of a new day, with all the immediacy of a friend's embrace.Eugene Peterson,
Regent College

The NIV Application Commentary Series helps pastors and Bible teachers with one the most neglected elements in good preaching--accurate, useful application. Most commentaries tell you a few things that are helpful and much that you do not need to know. By dealing with the original meaning and contemporary significance of each passage, the NIV Application Commentary Series promises to be helpful all the way around. James Montgomery Boice
Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA

This series promises to become an indispensable tool for every pastor and teacher who seeks to make the Bible's timeless message speak to this generation.Billy Graham

Here, at last, is a commentary that makes the proper circuit from the biblical world to main street. The NIV Application Commentary is magnificent gift to the church.Kent Hughes,
College Church, Wheaton, IL

Here at last is a commentary which is not only academically well informed but which helps the contemporary reader hear God's word and consider its implications; scholarship in the service of the church.Arthur Rowe,
Spurgeon's College

If you want to avoid hanging applicational elephants from interpretive threads, then the NIV Application Commentary Series is for you. This series excels at both original meaning and contemporary significance. I support it one hundred percent.Howard J. Hendricks,
Dallas Theological Seminary

This is the pulpit for the 21st CenturyGeorge K. Brushaber,
President, Bethel College & Seminary

It takes more than interpretation of God's word to change lives, it takes application. Application is the bottom line in teaching and preaching. Without it, we've missed the point of the Bible. The NIV Application Commentary is an outstanding resource for pastors and anyone else who is serious about developing "doers of the word".Rick Warren,
Saddleback Church

The NIV Application Commentary Series shares the same goal that has been the passion of my own ministry--communicating God's word to a contemporary audience so that they feel the full impact of its message.Bill Hybels,
Willow Creek Community Church

This series dares to go where few scholars have gone before--into the real life world of biblical application faced by pastors and teachers everyday. This is everything a good commentary series should be.Leith Anderson
Pastor, Wooddale Church

Some commentaries build walls that isolate you back in the ancient world. The NIV Application Commentary builds bridges that make the Bible come alive with meaning for contemporary life--and the series do so concisely, clearly, and accurately. No wasted words or academic detours--just solid help and practical truth.Warren W. Weirsbe